I’m sure you’ve heard China’s internet is booming. I’m sure you’ve heard of the power of WeChat, and how everything is “moving so fast”. But how, why? What lies beyond the hype and big numbers? What lies beyond the “damned statistics”? Is it possible for me to get more “quotations” into this paragraph? Answers are needed, and answers we just may provide.

Wandering through Youtube on my lunch break I came across a few videos that dive into the “what” ie: what it is, but also the “how” and the “why”. I’m sure you dear reader, if you are reading this blog, are well versed in all things China, digital, social and mobile. So this article isn’t for you. It’s for the friend, or the client, or the partner who have just entered China and are trying to absorb information the size of an ocean with a sponge the size of their brains. Here’s what you can show them, two slickly produced videos from the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Perhaps the old saying really is true: Ask Youtube and ye shall receive (unless you’re in China, get thee to thine VPN, posthaste!).

From NYT: How China is Changing your Internet.

This video is a great primer on the Chinese Internet, and WeChat’s dominance. Chinese Internet law and culture play a big part in how different digital China is to the west.

From WSJ: China’s Great Leap to Wallet-Free Living.

This video documents the coming extinction of cash. This isn’t due to global warming, but rather the rise of a fierce new predator (cue ominous drumbeat): mobile payments. Great intro in the subject, but beware of profanity from the woman from Shenzhen.